A Damsel's Comeback
by 808Lionfire
Summary: Lucy never considered herself a strong person. However, certain events caused her to finally devote herself (along with Happy) to a solo mission and she was once again reminded just how strong she wasn't. Determined to no longer remain Fairy Tail's 'Damsel in Distress', she leaves to get stronger (I'm not good at short summaries so there's a -slight- extended summary inside).
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Fairy tail FanFic! Again! Right After I finished my other story "The Day It All Started" (Shameless plug, I know).**

**This isn't your typical Fairy Tail fan fiction (Well... it probably is '-_-)! Anyway! This is my second take at a Fairy Fanfic, so I kindly ask for your patience. Sorry if they seem a little OOC, I don't really dabble in FanFictions and such. I tend to enjoy the creation of my own characters but I felt like this needed to be done.**

**This plot may take place after the GMG arc and the Sun Village mission or, if you want, you can consider this as an Omake. Rated T for future language and violence. Probably.**

**Here's to hoping that this is a relatively short story! (On another site I'm known for losing muse at relatively long stories) But anyways, onward with the story and I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail (c) characters belong to Hiro Mashima and any relative Producers.**

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><p><strong>Extended Summary:<strong> Lucy never considered herself a strong person (Unless you counted the will of the mind strong) and she never really cared too much about it either. However, certain events caused her to finally devote herself, along with Happy, to a solo mission and she was once again reminded just how strong she wasn't. Determined to no longer remain Fairy Tail's 'Damsel in Distress', she leaves to get stronger. And that's when the fun happens.

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><p>Chapter 1-<p>

_Year x791 in Mangolia, Fiore. Fairy Tail guild hall._

Lucy's soft sigh was drowned out by the latest guild brawl, however, Mirajane noticed this. She figured that it must have been that time of the month. The time when her blonde haired friend becomes tired, irritable and most of all, desperate. Lucy would do anything to curb the urge to just do... _something_. For the sake of her rent, of course. What else would push the blonde that way?

The white haired take-over mage smiled softly and walked over to her friend.

"Good morning, Lucy," Mira greeted cheerfully, "The usual today?"

"Morning, Mira," The Celestial mage replied from where her forehead was pressed against the wooden bar. "And yes, please."

"You got it," the take-over mage winked and walked through the doors that connected to the kitchen.

Moments later, Mira walked back out and placed the blond's drink in front of her; strawberry milkshake. Lucy's favorite. Mira then pulled a glass out from under the bar and started on polishing it while keeping a close eye on her friend. Lucy pitifully sipped out of the straw that Mira provided while looking around the guild's canteen.

"So what has got you so down?" Mira smiled, knowing exactly why the mage was currently pouting on her bar, "By now you would either be chatting with Levy or looking at missions with Erza."

"Mmph," Lucy grunted, pulling away from her drink and resting her chin on her left hand. She closed her eyes, thinking back to the literal, rude awakening this morning. "The Landlady is hounding me for this month's rent."

"Well," Mira sighed good-naturedly, "Why not go on a mission?"

Lucy gave the Take-over mage a half-hearted glare, but quickly conceded, "You know why."

"I see," she smiled in reply, placing the glass back under the bar and folding her towelette, "Have you asked him yet?" Lucy scoffed and childishly rolled her eyes before moving forward to drink her shake. "I assume that's a yes," Mira giggled, "What was it?"

"Cargo escort," Lucy replied, swallowing before groaning pitifully, "It was an easy 200,000 jewels."

"What did you expect?" A voice behind the blonde asked.

Lucy turned around to peer at the dark haired Ice mage with unamused eyes. Gray, however, didn't notice or pointedly ignored it. The Ice mage laughed instead, walking up to the bar and sliding into the seat next to Lucy. He patted her head sympathetically.

"You know him almost better than anyone," Gray pointed out, rolling his eyes, "Flame-brain and transportation just doesn't mix."

"Still..."

"Good morning, Gray," Mira smiled, placing a mug in front of him. Gray exhaled gratefully before taking the mug in his hands and downing the contents quickly. "Are you going on another mission?" She asked once he let out a resounding 'Ahh' and gestured to the bag around his neck.

"Yeah," the Ice-make mage shrugged, nonchalant, "Juvia asked me." Mira's eyes shined in delight, causing Lucy to let out a small giggle. "Mavis knows that I didn't really want to go, but extra cash doesn't hurt either."

Mira held her smile, seemingly unaffected. However, the blonde celestial mage knew better. A minute hadn't even passed before a dark, depressed gloom enveloped the white-haired woman. She turned away sadly and covered her face with both hands, softly weeping. Lucy sweat-dropped as she did her best to comfort the bar-maid from where she was sitting. Gray, oblivious, looked around the guild, adjusting the strap on his shoulder.

"Hey, Lucy," Gray spoke up, drawing the Celestial mage away from Mira, "Have you seen Flame-brain lately?"

The blond fidgeted, shooting small, worried glances at Mira, "Um, well..."

"Gray-sama!" Juvia called, running over to them. Lucy sighed, grateful for the distraction. "Juvia found a mission fit for Juvia and her Gray-sama!" The Water mage pulled to a stop and shot a gleaming glare in Lucy's direction, "_Juvia's_ Gray-sama, Love Rival."

"I get it, I get it," Lucy protested, holding both her hands in a 'no-shoot' gesture while Gray sweat-dropped. Juvia gazed a second longer at the blonde before nodding in content. She walked up to the bar and placed a sheet of paper on the wooden surface.

"Juvia chooses this mission, Mira-san," the bluenette announced showing the post to Mira.

"Alright," Mira immediately perked up and smiled, her emotions taking a complete 180.

Juvia started to tug enthusiastically at Gray's arm, urging the Ice-make mage to move. Mira watched the exchange with her hands clasped together and her eyes shining bright. Lucy sweat-dropped at her white-haired friend.

"Come on, Gray-sama!" Juvia urged as Gray slowly stood up, trying to pacify the Water mage, "Juvia doesn't want to be late for the train."

However, Juvia shot a look at Lucy, making her think that wasn't the only reason why she wanted to leave quickly. _Honestly_, the blonde thought with a sigh. _The last thing I want is a drama filled romance. I leave that to the books_. She knew the water mage meant well and in all honestly, they were actually pretty good friends. Well, whenever you counted Gray out of the picture.

"Alright, alright," Gray chuckled, letting her pull him towards the door.

"Have fun but remember to _stay safe_!" Mira called before the doors closed, purposely stressing the last bit.

Lucy could swear she saw a blush on both of the mages before they waved back. She couldn't help but fondly smile past her own heated cheeks. Give it up to Mira to completely give that sentence a double meaning. They both watched the wooden doors groan as it finally shut.

Turning back to the Celestial mage, Mirajane smiled, "Now back to you." Lucy sighed, she hoped that it wouldn't have come back to that. "What did Natsu say exactly?"

"Nothing much," Lucy replied reluctantly, drinking the rest of her shake, "Just that he planned to go fishing with Lisanna and doubled the fact that the word transportation was on the paper." She shrugged before she pushed her cup away, missing the sad smile that Mira wore. "I didn't want to go alone. I don't know why, just the thought seemed off."

"Of course," Mira perked, "You're a team, after all."

Lucy sighed, "But he did say I could take Happy if I-" The Celestial mage gasped in realization, she covered her face in guilt. "Happy! Oh my gosh! I forgot about him!"

She quickly stood up, determination shining in her blue depths before heading over to the blue exceed. Mirajane watched as Lucy pulled Happy's attention away from Carla. Her hands were clasped together as her eyes shined pleadingly at the blue exceed. The cat's expression was one of hesitation, a mischievous hesitation, before he smiled devilishly and raised one paw into the air. Happy's 'Aye, Sir' reached all the way to Mira before the cat flew off and Lucy gleefully made her way back towards the bar.

"I assume it went well then?" Mira smiled in happiness for her friend. Not that it mattered much, Lucy's happiness radiated out on her own as she continuously chanted 'Rent Money' and gave a little victory dance.

"It wasn't a definite yes," Lucy replied, her smile wide, "But he said he'd ask Natsu. I'm trying to keep positive."

The blonde mage dug around her pockets and pulled out a couple of jewels to pay for her shake. She then slid onto a stool, jiggling her leg in anticipation. Mira smiled as she collected the money off of the table and then swiped the empty glass off of the bar, taking it into the kitchen. She dropped it off in the sink before making her way out just as the blue exceed burst through the guild doors.

"LUSHY!" Happy cried out joyfully, as he flew straight into the blonde's chest, "Natsu said it was fine!"

"Alright!" The blonde cheered along with the blue exceed. He then started to gently tug on her hand, urging her off of her chair.

"Let's go! Let's go!"

"Okay, okay! We're going!"

Lucy laughed and quickly pulled out the job poster, showing it to the white-haired mage. After a quick affirmative, the pair quickly took off towards the doors. Their excited chatter could be heard over the lowering hum of the guild. Both the blonde haired mage and the blue exceed's eyes shined at the prospect of adventure but Mirajane knew that they both had a small, side alternative for going.

"We're going to get you your rent, Lushy!" Happy cheered, as he floated around the Celestial mage. "We're also going to get my fish for Carla, right?"

"Yeah!"

"On your pay! You promised!"

"...yeah."

Mirajane smiled, placing a hand on her cheek as the doors closed behind the pair. She fondly shook her head at them both.

"My, my..."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I apologize for the long Author's Note but since I already had this typed out, I might as well post it. I'm in a little bit of a writer's block so hopefully the... what's the word... the relief (i guess) of updating will help. ****By the way, what I forgot to mention in the last chapter was that this _is_ one of those 'Lucy leaves to get stronger' stories like I blatantly stated in the summary (lol). But there's a small twist in mine.**

**I like reading these kind of stories, however, sometimes, they make Lucy waaaaay too over-powered. So, I'm sticking to a more... realistic (sorry if that offends anyone) approach to what I believe would actually happen. ****I try to keep stories like these as canon as I can. So if I can't see it happening in the actual story, I don't _usually_ write them. But I do keep an open mind because it'll probably happen more often than not.**

**But enough of my ranting! Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: All characters (Plot, setting, etc.) within Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima and their respective producers.**

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><p>Chapter 2-<p>

_Year x791. Onibas, Fiore. Train Station_

Lucy stepped off of the train, determination shining deep in her eyes. Happy snored slightly, curling up further in the Celestial mage's embrace. She sent the blue exceed an affectionate sigh before heading towards the entrance of the station.

_Might as well let him sleep_, Lucy thought as she stretched, happy to be able to walk around. _I guess I'll wake him when the actual job starts_.

With that thought in mind, the blonde pulled to a stop and used her free hand to pull out the flyer. The job was simple and, like she said earlier, an easy 200,000 jewels. Apparently, the cargo they had to escort was too fragile to go in the train so they had to be shipped by foot. By request of the client, the items inside the shipment were to be left unknown. The task was to guard the cargo from the town of Onibas to the outskirts of Oshibana. Lucy considered this job to be perfect, not only for her rent, but also for Happy and Natsu. However, the salmon haired mage hadn't attended.

It wasn't until recently (give or take a month) that cargo from this client and a few others had been disappearing. Actually, disappearing isn't quite the right word, more like raided. Some suspect it's just teenagers playing pranks but in actuality, the work has been committed by a Dark Guild. There are no leads on what guild it is or how many there are, but it's a known fact that they're dangerous. Some workers came back with serious injuries while others are still missing. Pursing her lips, Lucy folded the flyer and tucked it back into her pocket.

She would be lying if she she said she wasn't even a little bit nervous. Honestly, she felt absolutely terrified. She knew her weaknesses and fighting was definitely one of them. Sure, she could hold her own but she hoped that this could be one of her 'lucky' moments and prayed that the situation could be evaded. There was a chance that she wouldn't run into any of the Dark Guild members but if she did, she would probably come back with more than just a bruise.

_If I come back at all_, the blond mage thought darkly. Sighing, Lucy shook the thought out of her head and gently slapped her cheek with her free hand. _No dark thoughts, keep a positive attitude. I'm going to make it home whether with a few cuts or not, I'm going back to Fairy Tail_.

"Mm," Happy stirred, rubbing his eye tiredly, "Lushy? Where are we?"

"We're in Onibas," the mage replied vaguely, keeping her gaze forward. In effort to control her rampant thoughts, she let out a deep breath. "The client said to meet in front the warehouse at the edge of town. As soon as we arrive, they should be getting everything ready to depart." Lucy looked down at the blue exceed and tried out her best smile, "You can go back to sleep. I'll wake you up when we're ready to go."

"Okay," Happy yawned and closed his eyes. "You can be nice sometimes, Lushy."

Lucy's smile turned tight in anger as she restrained herself from strangling the cat. Nevertheless, she held her smile for a second longer before she cast her eyes forward and felt it drop. The blonde mage shifted Happy into her left arm and grabbed her suitcase with her right. Deciding that sooner was better than later, Lucy strolled down the cobbled walkway towards the edge of town. Soon enough, she made it towards the tree-line where the flyer said to meet and in rapid succession, she found the entrance to the old warehouse and in front of it was an elderly man.

"Ah!" an elderly man exclaimed, twirling his white mustache between his forefinger and his thumb.

He was barely half her size in height, fondly reminding her of Master Makarov. He was completely bald, excluding the hair of his mustache, Lucy noted. The man didn't even have eyebrows. Just a mustache and eyes that were wrinkled shut with age. He was draped in what looked like khaki pants and long, age weathered robes. This man, however, had a very nice smile and surprisingly had all of his teeth.

"You must be the Mage that accepted my request, dear."

"You must be, Mr. Miya," Lucy smiled, holding her right hand out. The man, Mr. Miya, smiled and reached out to shake her hand. "My name is Lucy and this is my partner for the day, Happy."

"What a strange name, dear!"

"My nakama was young when he named him," Lucy explained with a small sigh.

"I meant you, dear!" Mr. Miya laughed jovially. Lucy sweat-dropped after the old man started to shake his head. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding, dear."

Giving the man a false laugh, the blonde felt her shoulders droop, her energy leaving her quickly. This man reminded her of someone, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Clutching her hand, she decided it wasn't even worth the thought. However, in a small (and fairly unkind) part of her brain, she hoped that the man wouldn't be traveling with them. But if he was...

_This is going to be a long day_, Lucy thought dryly.

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><p><em>Year x791. Magnolia, Fiore. Fairy Tail guild hall.<em>

Wendy walked up to the bar where Mirajane stood, her head tipped to the side in confusion. Carla, her white exceed, trailed slowly after the Dragon slayer. They glanced around the guild hall every so often, as if on alert.

"Good evening, Wendy," the barmaid greeted, the corner of her lips falling in concern, "Is something wrong?"

"Good evening, Mira-san," the Dragon slayer greeted meekly. "Nothing is wrong, but have you seen Lucy-san today?"

"She actually just left to complete a job," Mira replied, her small frown remained. The young bluenette sighed in disappointment. "Why? Did you need something from her?"

"Ah, no. Not really," Wendy shook her head and pulled a book from behind her back, "I was just returning this. She let me borrow it from the first time I went to her house."

"But that was months ago!" Mira exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Well," the bluenette muttered dejectedly, looking at her feet, "I'm not a strong reader."

"Yet," Carla added, hopping onto the counter.

"You don't have to worry about that," Mira smiled brightly, quickly trying to correct her outburst, "Was it interesting at least?"

"Yes," Wendy replied politely, offering a small smile before sliding onto a barstool. She placed the book gently on the countertop, "I enjoyed it."

"That's all that matters," the take-over mage nodded, "Do you want anything to drink or eat? Juice?" Wendy smiled gratefully before shaking her head. "Alright then," Mira smiled, taking a glance at the book, "What is it called?"

"It's called 'The Dragon's Elemental Legend'," Wendy replied.

"Ooh! I read that story!" Levy exclaimed, popping up out of nowhere and took a seat beside Wendy. "Sorry, I was just walking past and I overheard you," the older bluenette smiled bashfully.

"It's okay, Levy-chan," Wendy smiled back.

Mira grinned at the extra company and leaned forward on her elbows. Her eyes darted between the two bluenettes, "So what is it about?"

"You can explain, Levy-chan," Wendy blushed, gently pushing the book towards Levy, "I'm not sure if I can clearly explain."

"Are you sure?" The bluenette asked, unsure. At Wendy's smile, Levy tapped her chin. "So basically, this story is about a prince who ran away from his kingdom. His father ordered a full search for his son, under the impression that the prince was kidnapped. But... that obviously wasn't the case. Anyway, as the prince ducked to escape another patrol, he found himself lost in the Labyrinth Forest."

"Labyrinth Forest," Mira mulled, "That sounds familiar."

"Doesn't it?" Levy asked excitedly, "It's actually a forest on a continent off of the coast of Hargeon." At the girls' wonder filled glance, she added; "I researched it." Wendy and Mira let out a noise of understanding while Carla folded her arms and sat down. "But moving on. Inside the forest, the prince found a small log cabin. At first, it seemed abandoned, but after sticking around for an hour or two, because he was sure the army was still looking for him, a woman walked out with a woven basket. She caught him hiding in the bushes and in her attempt to investigate, she accidentally knocked him out."

"Accidentally?" Mira blurted in surprise. The pair nodded in reply. "How can you accidentally knock someone out?"

"The book says that she tripped on a root," Wendy explained, "She was holding a rock for a weapon, just in case he would have attacked her or something."

"But then she realized that the intruder was a prince, tried to stop and the rest is history," Carla shrugged, letting out a puff of air, "It's quite a childish story, but interesting to say the least."

"Oh!" the white-haired woman clapped excitedly, surprising the group, "So then she brought him back to nurse his wound and they fell in love!"

"Uh, well," Levy hummed, a smile threatening to slip. The two bluenettes shared an amused look. "Not exactly. See, this woman, she actually hates the royal family."

"What? She does?" Mira asked in confusion. At Levy's nod, her confusion multiplied, "If she hates them so much, then why did she stop?"

"She may not like them, but she was smart enough to stop. Well... try to stop, at least," Levy shrugged, "She can silently dislike them all she wants, but that's not worth what they'd do to her if she was actually caught assaulting a member of the Royal family. That kind of crime would be considered treason and she'd most likely be executed."

"I guess that's true," Mira sighed dejectedly, "I thought it would at least be a little more romantic." The white-haired take-over mage swished her hand back and forth, dismissing the thought, "Anyway, what happened next?"

"Well, the woman did nurse him back to health," Levy replied, supporting her chin with her hand. She tapped the book with her free hand and frowned, "It's weird though. The book was written in what seemed like diary entries, however, next part completely changed from that of a diary entry to a letter. And it seems that the letter was for the prince. It read, 'They have found you. Hide. I will do what I can to distract them. If I do not return by sun-rise, they have caught me. Do. Not. Pursue.' and that was the end of it."

"The end?!" Mira exclaimed slightly, "There must have been something else?"

"I don't know," Levy sighed, "The book that I borrowed from the Grand Library cut off right there."

"So did Lucy-san's book," Wendy added, pulling the book towards her and flipping it to the back. "There were blank pages after that though. I think that there was supposed to be something there." Her fingers nimbly gripped at the blank pages, flipping them quickly.

"Wow. Can I see?" Wendy nodded and gently pushed the book over to the older girl. Levy breathed reaching for the book, "It's so old." Her fingers brushed the age stained pages. "The book is quite beat up, compared to the one I had from the library. It's charred significantly, but it's still legible. And you can even feel the indentions of the letters! Such precision..."

The script mage stared at it in amazement, her hand quickly and carefully examining the book. Hazel eyes taking in every detail. Wendy and Mira shared a look of confusion as Carla sighed. The white exceed placed both paws on her hips and leaned toward the bluenette that seemed lost in her own world.

"What does that mean?"

"This book..." Levy trailed off, muttering incoherently. Suddenly, the script mage slammed the book closed, startling the other three. Her fingers gripped the leather bound book, her eyes flying wildly between their small group.

"Levy-chan...?" Wendy proceeded cautiously.

"This book," the older bluenette muttered again, "Could very well be the original book."

"But why would Lucy have something like that?" Mira asked in confusion.

"Lucy-san said that this was a story that her mother would read to her every night before she passed away," Wendy explained.

"But that doesn't explain how and why Lu-chan has it," Levy sighed.

"Well," Carla spoke up from where she was standing. Mira, Levy and Wendy turned to look at the white exceed. "We'll just have to ask her when she gets back."

"Hey, Shrimp," a deep voice grated, making the bluenette turn at the sound.

Gajeel, the Iron Dragon Slayer, was probably the only one who called her that so she knew who it was long before she turned. He was carrying a whole stack of books and even though it didn't seem like a lot, his muscles strained just a tad bit (Not that he would admit it. Especially to Levy). There was a slight frown on his pierced face as he looked down at Levy who just stared back at him questioningly. When he figured she wasn't going to answer verbally, Gajeel let out an exasperated sigh before rolling his eyes at her.

"Look, walking around with a bunch of books is not my idea of a good time." It was Levy's turn to roll her eyes causing Gajeel to grin. "Where d'ya want me to drop these, I gotta go on a mission with Lily soon."

"Oh, ah," Levy muttered, "You can just drop them at the table."

"What table?" Gajeel asked, letting his eyes lazily scan the almost empty guild before turning back to her, "If you hadn't noticed Shrimp, there are a lot of tables."

"You know what table, Gajeel," Levy glared, "Don't act stupid. I already know you are."

"Gihi," The Iron slayer chuckled, not offended in the least.

He released one of his holds, somehow managing to balance the impossible stack of books in one hand, and roughly messed up the bluenette's hair before walking off with the books in his arms. Levy grumbled, fixing her hair. Mira smiled brightly, clasping her hands in front of her heart. Wendy blushed a little at Levy's choice of vocabulary while Carla just smirked knowingly.

"So," Levy announced, ignoring the other girls' teasing stare, "Everyone who thinks we should interrogate Lucy when she gets back, say '_I_'."

The other three smiled before raising their hand (paw for Carla) in the air.

"Aye!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So (despite the genres I have chosen) there will be _slight_ hints of romance in the earlier chapters. As I said before, I'd like to be as canon as I can on this story and Fairy Tail doesn't really revolve around the obvious, romantic implications of their characters. So yeah, there will be Nalu, Gajevy, Jerza and Gruvia (plus the other odd couples here and there). But for now, romance will not be the driven factor. Yet.**

**But I am a hopeless romantic so there will be hints of ships throughout the story. I guess that's all I needed to brush up on. Thanks for anyone reading this and well... e****njoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

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><p>Chapter 3-<p>

_Year x791. Fiore. Outskirts of Oshibana_

"LUSHY! WATCH OUT!"

The blue exceed yelled from where he was floating. He quickly swooped down and scooped the celestial mage into his arms before escaping the violent explosion. Barely.

"T-thanks, Happy," The blonde gasped in relief. She fumbled at her gate keys and winced when red-hot pain seared up from her wrist. "I owe you one, but I thought I told you to keep with the cargo."

"We're two minutes away from Oshibana," Happy grunted in reply, his tail flicking at the town a little ways away. "Ugh, you have to lose some weight."

"Are you calling me fat, you stupid cat!"

"Hehe," Happy giggled.

Lucy rolled her eyes at that, "I'll pull your whiskers later. You have to drop me back down there."

"But Lush-"

"Fairy Tail mages complete their mission, Happy," Lucy replied sternly, cutting the blue exceed off.

"But the cargo is already in Oshibana," Happy argued, "We already completed the mission. All we hafta do is get the reward!"

"We can't," Lucy shook her head. "The mission was to complete the job by safely getting the cargo to the client in Oshibana." The blonde haired mage felt the cat shrug uncaringly before sighing in exasperation. "The client's house is on the other side of Oshibana and besides, Shadow Claw is still after the shipment. It isn't safe yet."

"But-"

"No 'but's, Happy. I'd rather finish the fight out here then pay for any town damages anyway," Lucy cut him off, clearing her mind of everything but the job, "We still have a job to do. Let's go."

"Aye, sir," The blue exceed muttered half-heartedly before dipping lower to the ground.

He was extra careful to make sure the blonde's feet were on the ground before letting go. He didn't trust Lucy to land properly. Not that he didn't believe she couldn't, but the state that she was in currently hadn't helped the situation. The celestial mage and little bits of scrapes on her legs, arms and face. She had been limping a bit before Happy had scooped her up, so that could have been another factor. Happy was concerned for her physical state but Lucy didn't want to give up, so neither did he.

The air around them was eerily quiet, unease settling in them. Besides the broken terrain, no one would have thought a battle had ever touched these woods. However, they have been in situations like this before and Happy knew better. He had a really bad feeling about this.

Unfortunately, luck was not on their side and his theory was quickly proven true. A huge explosion erupted from their left, causing the pair to squeeze their eyes shut and fly though the air. Happy felt heat- no, _warmth_ around him right as they harshly hit the ground. He heard Lucy cry out in pain, feeling the sound resonate on the tips of his whiskers.

"Lushy!" The blue exceed cried out as he opened his eyes to pale skin.

Lucy had curled around the cat to get the blunt of the blast. Possibly saving him from the pain she must have been feeling right then. The blond's clothes were torn and pretty much rags, but she didn't notice or she just didn't care. Gashes and cuts littered her body, some even had the possible potential of scarring. Besides the ruffle of his blue fur and the small ache on his tail, Happy was unscathed.

"A-are you okay... H-Happy?" Lucy gasped, her arm tightening around him before quickly letting go. She struggled to a sitting position, curling her fingers around her injured wrist. Happy quickly made his way to the blonde's side.

"Lucy!" Tears built up in his eyes, "Why did you protect- are you okay?! Your wrist!"

"It's okay!" The blonde mage muttered, trying to calm him down. She tried her best to conceal her pain as she slightly moved her hand, "I just landed on it wrong. Besides, it's not like I can only call my spirits with my right hand."

"Still alive, I see. You're even better than I expected and from Fairy Tail no less." A dark chuckle resonated before a tall, dark haired, brutish man stepped out of the tree-line. He was followed by maybe a dozen other men. Maybe more. Lucy glared harshly at the man, causing him to chuckle again. "So this is what Light Guilds are like; stubborn before death itself. Amusing. It was nice playing with you, little girl. But this is the end."

The man held his hand forward, palm facing towards the pair. Happy could feel the buildup of magical power in the man's hand. It's familiar feeling reminded him of the Dragon Slayer's match in the Grand Magic Games. He panicked.

"Lushy! Watch-"

"Open! Gate of the clock, Horologium!"

Happy's eyes squeezed shut just as the air around them exploded, however, he felt nothing but Lucy's warmth. Thankfully this time, neither him nor Lucy got injured in the blast. When he opened his eyes, there was smoke in front of him but they seemed to be trapped in a wooden box with a glass front. Despite the situation they were in, Happy couldn't help but wonder if this was the first time he was ever protected by this spirit.

"Just in time, Ms. Lucy," the wooden grandfather clock muttered after successfully protecting both his master and the blue exceed from the blast.

"I'm sorry, Horologium," Lucy apologized immediately, gently touching the wooden wall, "I didn't mean to use you to protect me like this. I just didn't know if I could have survived another one of those blasts."

"Do not worry, Ms. Lucy," Horologium replied dutifully, "It is my pleasure to protect you. I am fine."

"Thank goodness," the blonde sighed in relief, "Can you hold out for a little longer?"

"Of course, Ms. Lucy."

"Okay then," Lucy smiled and stepped out of the spirit and quickly shut the door on the blue exceed, "I trust you to keep him safe."

"_Let me out Lushy_, he says," Horologium muttered as Lucy took her spot in front of her clock. She slightly fumbled to switch her keys into her left hand but held firm in front of the Dark Guild. "_It's pointless trying to act like a hero!_ He screams."

A vein popped on Lucy's head as she struggled to control her temper, but did allow to mutter one phrase under her breath. "_Stupid cat!_"

"You just keep on surprising me girly," the leader chortled as the dust finally settled, "But your luck is running out."

Three guys rushed out from behind him, weapons in hand. They roared, swinging each of their weapons as they reached the blonde haired girl. Lucy twisted out of the way and grabbed her whip. Ignoring the pain, she snapped the end around the grunt's weapons and pulled hard. The momentum caused the weapons to fly back and hit each of their respective wielders, knocking them out. Lucy let herself have a second of cheer before, two more rushed her. This time, she snapped her whip at their feet, causing them to stumble over themselves and onto the other three.

_Five down_, she thought smugly.

Happy watched inside of Horologium, his jaw hanging in surprise. "_Since when could Lushy fight?_ he asks."

The mage in question turned to glare at the exceed, not noticing the lackey that was sneaking up behind her. But before Happy could warn his friend, the man had already trapped Lucy into a headlock. Her eyes widened in surprise before her eyebrows drew down angrily. She stepped forward, gaining distance between their waists before swiftly kicking one foot back, hitting the man's family jewels. The man coughed and collapsed as Happy winced in sympathy.

_Seven left..._

Lucy stuck her left arm out, two golden keys poking out from her fingers. She knew she was pushing it. Three spirits out, she could barely handle two, even if one of them was a silver key. Lucy could only guess that this would probably train her energy completely, but she didn't care at that moment. The desperate rush for survival and the sudden pulse of adrenaline kept her from second guessing it.

"Open! Gate of the golden bull, gate of the ram! Taurus! Aries!"

"Luuuuucy!" The black and white bull cried as the cloud cleared, his eyes forming into hearts. He held his giant battle-axe above his head in a show of strength.

"I'm sorry!" the pink haired spirit apologized shyly, dipping her head low.

"Now's not the time, Taurus!" Lucy fumed before turning a warm gaze on the pink haired spirit, "It's okay, Aries. We have to take out these guys right now! They're interfering with the mission, so please!"

"I got this Luuucy!" Taurus cheered. Four guys rushed towards the bull, causing him to smirk before tightly gripping his axe. "Fierce Mooooove!" He slammed the head of the axe into the ground, the force dug at the dirt until the power knocked into three of the guys. The last one was smart enough to narrowly dodge the attack. Taurus twisted to stare at his caster, "How was that, nice boooody?"

Lucy glared at her spirit, but her expression quickly turned to one of horror. The guy that escaped the attack, rushed forward again, building magical pressure into his hands. Aiming at none other than the Celestial Bull. "Taurus! Watch out!"

"Wool Bomb!"

Pink fluff shot out of Aries's hands, covering the man with thick globs of wool. Lucy cheered happily and snapped her whip out, adrenalin pumping through her veins. _Three left._ She snapped her whip around a burly guy's ankle tripping him into the guy behind him right before Aries trapped them in another glob of wool. _Last one._ Lucy cheerfully high-fived Taurus and hugged Aries in their success.

"I'm afraid my time is up," Horologuim muttered from behind them before disappearing and leaving Happy in a cloud of celestial smoke.

"That was mean Lushy!" Happy cried, flying into her chest. "I wanted to fight too!"

Lucy rolled her eyes before an explosion sounded to her right. Whipping her head, she saw the leader of the group glaring at her in frustration and rage. Once the dust cleared, Lucy gasped. Taurus's back faced the man while his arms were spread, blocking the blast from Aires.

"Taurus!"

"Taurus-san! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"I hate to leave you nice body!" Taurus grunted, his body already disappearing, "But I have to gooo back."

"Thank you, Taurus!" Lucy exclaimed, cursing for getting another one of her spirits hurt. "Rest well! You too, Aries!"

"Thank you," The pink haired ram bowed her head sadly. "I'm sorry," she muttered before disappearing as well.

"Looks like it's just you and me now," the dark haired man growled, "You are on my last nerve girly."

"I'm on _your_ last nerve?" The blonde mage scowled, a vein ticking on her head.

She clutched Happy to her chest and rolled out of the way just as an explosion gathered next to them. She dashed madly away from each explosion, a few being able to catch her arm or foot. By the time the barrage of attacks ceased, they were all out of breath. The leader fumed, his fists clenching at his sides as he threw a glare her.

"Why don't you just die already?! Huh?!"

"Why?" Lucy fumed back, gently pushing Happy back despite his protests. "Why? Because I am Fairy Tail's Celestial mage! I don't care that you had hurt me, but you have hurt innocent people, my nakama and you have insulted my guild!"

Her fury swirled around her body as a gust of wind kicked up around the clearing they were in. An eerie aura that could have rivaled Erza's settled on them. Still pushing aside the pain in her wrist and the aches of her body, Lucy walked forward menacingly. She snapped her leather whip back onto her belt and lifted her chin, letting her eyes glare at the man. Pride filled Lucy's veins when he stepped back.

"Why won't I die?" Lucy asked arrogantly, she spread her feet and crouched slightly. "Because I have to pay you back! A million times over!" The Celestial mage dashed forward, her hand snapping to one of her most powerful keys.

The leader's eyes widened in fear, "Y-You d-don't k-know who you're m-messing with girly!"

"Open!"

He scrambled back, "The Kn-Knightmares will c-come a-after you and your g-guild!"

"Gate of the Lion!"

"You'll regret this, stupid girl!"

"LOKE!"

Using her momentum, the orange haired spirit flew out of the cloud of smoke, his hands glowing relentlessly. The man stumbled over his own feet to get away but it was too late.

"Regulus Impact!" Loke shouted, thrusting his whole body forward.

For a beat, Loke's light shone so bright, it temporarily blinded both Happy and Lucy. The man harshly into a tree before flopping to the ground, unconscious. Loke quickly turned around when he heard a second thud hit the dirt. Happy rushed over to Lucy's side, crying his heart out.

"Now now, Happy," Lucy let out a laugh but it sounded more like a gasp, "That's not like you."

"But you're hurt! And I couldn't do anything to help!"

"Don't say that. Remember? I forced you to stay back," Lucy shook her head, curling her left arm around the exceed before taking Loke's offering hand. "Ow!"

Loke's eyes widened as he quickly let go of the blonde, easily catching her forearm. "Lucy? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," Lucy muttered, standing up with his help, "I just landed on my wrist wrong. Just a little sprain." Happy curled tighter to Lucy's side. The girl gently squeezed the exceed affectionately. "I'll be fine, Loke," Lucy reassured her spirit. He continued to look at her with a doubtful gaze. "I'll just go to the doctors when we get home. It's nothing big. You should go back. Check on Taurus and Aries for me."

Lucy attempted to walk but stumbled forward. She would have fell if it wasn't for Happy, who flew out of her grip and grabbed her arm, and Loke, who grabbed her other arm. It wasn't until then that she felt her magic drain and exhaustion grip her. She steadied herself and clutched her head.

"No, I have to stay," Loke refused, "You're about to collapse from keeping three gates open and then summoning me. I can't- wont let that happen."

"I'll be fine, Loke," Lucy tried to reassure the lion, "Besides, I have Happy with me."

"Aye, sir!"

"And keeping your gate open will drain me of magic as well." Loke was about to open his mouth but Lucy cut him off. "And you know very well that you still take magic energy from me, even if you come out of your own gate." The spirit looked away guiltily. Lucy smiled warmly and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry about me, Loke. I've got Happy, he won't let me down."

"Fine," the spirit conceded, "But I'll be here if you need me."

With a final bow, the celestial spirit disappeared in a golden hue. Lucy smiled reassuringly at Happy who was still floating above her, holding her arm to keep her up. He kept his worried gaze on his nakama before letting it turn determined, he wasn't going to let her down. If Lucy ever said something right, Happy was sure that was most definitely it. Lucy turned away, her eyes closing for a few seconds.

_Knightmares_. The thought lingered at the back of their minds. Whoever they are, Fairy Tail can take them. They believed in that whole-heartedly.

"How about we finish this job Happy?" the blonde asked, shaking the thoughts from her head, "We'll split the reward, 50-50. Then we can go get you that fish for Carla and my pay rent."

"Aye, sir!"

The blue exceed cheered, masking whatever emotions he felt right then and wrapped his tail around the blond's torso. Happy flew onwards to where he was sure the shipment was headed. Never once letting the blonde touch the ground. Luckily, he had plenty of magical energy left due to being stuck in Horologium for most of the fight. Lucy apologized over and over again for having him carry her but they both knew that she was too drained to even stand on her own.

Even Lucy herself was surprised she wasn't blue (or, from a dark side of her mind, _dead_) from the lack of magical power.

"Uh, Happy?"

"Yeah, Lushy?"

"When I said that you wouldn't let me down..." The blond trailed off, her wide gaze watching the passing buildings before crying out, "I didn't mean literally!"

"I know that, Lushy," Happy playfully jeered, rolling his eyes, "I'm not you."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

The blue exceed giggled, swaying from side to side in the air. Lucy muffled her scream behind her hand, stuck between wanting to hit the cat but fearing for her life.

"But I was meant what I said earlier."

The blue exceed's voice turned uncharacteristically serious. Lucy stopped squirming immediately, turning her head to look at Happy's sudden change in mood. Despite the tone he had used, his facial expression was completely different. So, once she saw the mischievous grin on his face, she already knew what was coming.

"You have to lose some weight. It's getting harder to fly with you."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY, YA STUPID CAT!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So like I posted on my one-shot (for those who follow me), I'm tying to post** **_something _at least every other day, whether it be this story or something new. Or possibly even another one-shot. I just want to try to get myself on a strict schedule so I can update stuff on time. I'm already working on the fifth chapter but I don't really know if I should post this back to back. I like the alternations.**

**Plus, one-shots and short stories give me inspiration... so there's that.**

**I also want to personally thank those who are following and/or have favorited/reviewed this story (There's quite a few of you, but you know who you are). It truly means a lot to get good feedback even if it's just a follow or a favorite *totally makes an Awards worthy thank you speech* But seriously, thank you very much. And for some reason, I always drag on with my A/N. I try to refrain myself in the next chapter but for now, I'll just let you get to it!**

**Enjoy and as always, see you in the next one! -808lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 -<p>

_Year x791. Magnolia, Fiore. Lucy's Apartment._

"I've got this month's rent!" Lucy grinned at the Landlady before pulling a wad of 100,000 jewels (Her cut) out of her bag.

Happy floated around her apartment before plopping on the table with his special fish, eyeing the blond with worry. She was currently dressed in bandages. The most seemed to circulate around her right hand and wrist. Apparently, her wrist had severe nerve damage and had splintered a bit but she only had enough cash on her to get a temporary splint. Thankfully, that was something Happy wasn't aware of. He was waiting outside of the doctor's office (said something about not liking the smell).

When the client saw how beat up Lucy was, he took pity on her. He offered her a place to stay for one night, all expenses paid, before heading off the next morning. He even gave her an extra 5,000 jewels (Happy's fish expenses) for her troubles. Tired and in pain, Lucy agreed without a second thought. Happy agreed to stay just because they had a good selection of fish at the market. The celestial mage would have argued otherwise but she was grateful for the exceed's company. So now (a day later) they're back home in Magnolia.

Lucy fumbled with the money but sharp pain drew from her wrist, causing her to drop the money. "S-sorry," she stammered out her apology, bending to gather the cash, "I kind of injured my wrist on this past mission."

As the celestial mage stood up, the landlady snatched the money and counted it out. Handing the blonde back her change, the Landlady shoved the money into her pocket and turned to walk away.

"Landlady! Wait!" Lucy called out, taking half a step forward. The Landlady stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Um, you gave me back 20,000 jewels," she muttered, "I thought the rent was 70,000 jewels only."

"You said you injured your hand," the Landlady replied in a monotonous voice. "That means you can't clean your apartment, so I'll do it. 10,000 jewels should just about cover however long it takes you to heal."

Lucy's eyes grew wide, "B-but, Landlady. I couldn't ask you to do that."

"You didn't," she replied flatly, "But you already paid. So that's that." Turning back around the Landlady opened the door and before it closed she muttered, "Just focus on healing."

That brought a tear to the blonde's eye, a warmth spread from her head to her toes. The blonde mage smiled and turned around to face Happy with an excited grin. Happy stood up, still clutching his special fish to himself and grinned back at her.

"Let's go, Happy!" Lucy cheered, "We have to go give Carla your fish and- oh yeah!" She turned to her pack and pulled out another wad of 100,000 jewels. "This is your share. Spend it wisely."

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered along, shoving the money into his pack before flying out the window.

Lucy smiled for a second more before she dropped it, her mind clouding with the pain. She gently clutched her wrist, cursing quietly under her breath. She just shook her head before closing the window and locking it before heading out the door. After exiting the building, Lucy decided that maybe the guild would help keep her mind distracted. Mavis knows self-doubt comes from time taken to think about pain.

"You're so slow, Lushy," Happy rolled his eyes as he floated by the girl.

"You could have gone ahead," Lucy shot back, "You didn't have to wait for me."

"But you said that _we're_ going to give my fish to Carla," the blue exceed pointed out, "We're a team. Team-mates are always there for each other."

"You're right," Lucy smiled softly, "Thank you for being there, Happy."

The two continued on in comfortable silence, both of their heads filled with different thoughts. Happy's was filled with anticipation and excitement while his blonde haired companion was thinking something completely opposite. The sadness from before their mission hit her like a brick wall. Which was strange, very strange. Wasn't she depressed about not getting her rent on time? Or... was it something else?

"Ne, Happy?"

"Aye, sir?"

"Hypothetically, what would you do if I ever said that I wanted to stop being a mage?"

"What?!" Happy's eyes grew wide, barely securing his fish back into his arms. He turned to look at Lucy, completely bewildered, "Why would you ever want to do that?!"

"It was a hypothetical question," Lucy sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Forget I asked."

The pair continued to walk, this time, the silence in the air held electrified tension. Happy stole a couple of glances at the mage before letting out a long sigh.

"If you left..." Happy trailed, "I think I'd cry."

Surprised, Lucy stopped walking and twirled to face the exceed with wide eyes. "Happy I... I said forget about it. I said I wasn't serious."

"But I am!" The exceed exclaimed, shocking Lucy once again. She watched helplessly as the blue exceed's fish dangled in his claws and his large eyes started to fill. "If you ever left, I'd cry. I'd wonder why you wanted to leave when you were so happy with us. Did Lushy hate us? Did Lushy hate Fairy Tail? What did we do wrong? Will she ever come back?"

After that, tears finally fell onto the exceed's fur. Lucy felt her own eyes water as she reached forward and tucked her blue companion into her arms. Even with Happy's fish between them, Lucy never let go. She dropped to her knees and started to cry with him. Tears of guilt. Sadness. You name it, she had it.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I asked," she whispered into the cat's fur, "I promise I won't leave. And if I do, I'll promise to always come back. You're right, I don't know why I would ever want to leave. I don't know why I ever asked. Fairy Tail is my family!" Happy buried his head further. "Thank you, Happy. You're right," Lucy smiled into the blue exceed's fur, a weight lifting from her chest. "You're right. Fairy Tail is my family. And so are you."

"A-aye, sir."

* * *

><p>Fairy Tail's guild proudly towered in front of the pair as they joyfully made their way to the doors. Both of their spirits lifted at the sight, the building had always reminding them that better things were to come. If not now, then later. Lucy set her brown eyes on Happy's excited form, his fish clutched anxiously in her paws. Unconsciously, the blonde mage smiled at the sight.<p>

"Well that was very emotional, don't you think?" Lucy laughed, referring to their earlier moment as she pushed into the guild with Happy in tow.

"Aye, sir!"

Even though she heard that term almost a million times that day and the day before, she couldn't help but smile softly to the blue exceed. Unknowingly, he had helped her see the light to her life again and she was forever grateful. Now, she watched as Happy flew his way over to Wendy and Carla. Wendy cheerfully greeted him while Carla only glanced out of the corner of her eye.

As usual, Happy presented his special fish to the white exceed. But this time, before the other exceed could refuse, Carla caught Lucy's eye. The blonde clasped her hands together, ignoring the pain that radiated up and down her arm, and gave the female exceed her best pleading look. Carla flushed a second later, a small, secret smile gracing her lips before she immediately replaced it with a frown. Sticking her nose in the air, the female exceed gave a firm '_I'll think about it_.' before flying away.

Happy turned to look at Lucy who just smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Shaking his head, the blue exceed tucked the fish into his pouch before flying off somewhere. Lucy giggled with glee before she jumped up victoriously, doing a small dance to accompany it.

"What are you doing Luce?"

The girl in question froze, her eyes widened as she slowly turned to look at the owner of the question. Embarrassed, she blushed and quickly stood normally. Lucy pursed her lips, ignoring the questioning looks she got as she rocked on the balls of her feet.

"H-hey, Natsu. Lisanna," she muttered to the salmon-haired boy and the younger, white-haired Strauss sibling behind him. "Don't mind me. I'm just... d-dancing."

"In the middle of the entrance?" Natsu asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at her weirdly. Lucy folded her arms stubbornly and looked away. "You're such a weirdo."

"Why were you dancing, Lucy-san?" Lisanna's pleasant voice asked, smiling and ignoring Natsu completely.

"I thought I told you to call me Lucy and ah, well," Lucy pursed her lips before smiling back at the white haired girl, "Happy just asked Carla if she would like to share a fish with him..."

"He does that everyday," Natsu cut in. Lisanna elbowed the Dragon Slayer in the ribs before nodding at the blonde to continue.

"And Carla said that she'll '_think about it_'," the two girls, unbeknownst to the fire mage, squealed in delight. They clasped each other's hands in their excitement. Lucy, forgetting that she was injured, winced when she jostled her wrist but tried to ignore it. Natsu, however, noticed.

"Hey, Luce," Natsu said, drawing the celestial mage's attention, "Where'd you go? You weren't at your apartment last night and Happy didn't come home."

"Yeah," Lucy mused with a frown, "Happy and I went on a job."

"What! Why didn't you take me with you?" Natsu demanded instantly, causing both Lucy and Lisanna to roll their eyes, "Why didn't Happy say anything?"

"He did, Natsu," Lisanna sighed, face-palming at her best friend.

"When?"

"Yesterday afternoon," Lucy pitched in this time, "He said you told him it was okay." Natsu pouted. "Besides, my rent was due today and I asked if you and Happy wanted to take the mission with me. You said you didn't want to go but you said I could take Happy with me if I needed him."

"Oh. Yeah," Natsu asked, his brows furrowing, "What was the mission anyway?"

"Cargo escort," Lucy replied. The salmon haird boy instantly got sick just at the mention of cargo. "And like I told you yesterday, we weren't riding any transport. We just had to make sure the cargo that was too fragile to go in the train, was safely deposited at the end of Oshibana's station. We also had to make sure that it was intact."

"Intact?" the white-haired mage questioned.

"Yeah, there was an unknown dark guild hanging around the forest that we had to cross," Lucy replied, folding her arms. She sighed when Natsu immediately picked up when she mentioned the dark guild. "They called themselves, '_Shadow Claw_'."

"So you met them?" Natsu asked, the flame in his eyes flickered as he took notice of all the bandages that was wrapped around the blonde's body. "And they're the ones that hurt you?"

The celestial mage shifted awkwardly, "Ah, well-"

"Aye!" Happy cried flying over. Lucy sighed in relief, thankful that the blue exceed drew Natsu and Lisanna's attention off of her. "You should have been there, Natsu! Lucy was kind of cool..."

"Kind of?! Why you-"

"You don't look injured at all," Natsu muttered with a frown after he inspected his partner then turned his accusing eyes back to Lucy, "So why are you hurt?"

"Ummmm-"

"LU-CHAN!" Levy cried out and ran over to hug the blonde. Once again, Lucy had to thank her lucky stars. They ran into each other's arms and squeezed. Lucy was so relieved, she didn't even care about her pain.

"Levy-chan!" She squealed out excitedly.

"Sorry, but I have to borrow her for a bit," the bluenette apologized to the other three after they pulled from their hug. Natsu was about to open his mouth to argue but Lisanna quickly shut him up by jabbing her elbow into his side again. The salmon-haired boy glared at her but Lisanna was quick to glare back before turning towards Levy and Lucy.

"Of course, Levy-chan," the white-haired mage smiled at them, "Take all the time you need."

"Thank you, Lisa-chan!" the bluenette cried gratefully before taking Lucy's arm and pulling her towards the bar, right where Mirajane was standing.

"Oh for Mavis's sake," the blonde groaned, "Please don't tell me this is another intervention. I told you, Natsu and I are just friends and we're going to stay that way for a _long_ time."

"No you're not," Mira sang before leaning forward onto the bar, pushing a cup of tea over to the celestial mage, "But that's not what we're dragging you here for."

"Hey Wendy! Carla!" Levy called. The darker bluenette and the white exceed turned their heads. "We got her! C'mon!"

"G-got me?" Lucy asked skeptically, trying to pull away, "F-for what?"

"We need to ask you a few questions, Lu-chan. Nothing big."

"How is this _not_ an intervention?"

"Don't worry, Lucy. It's not about that."

"Not about what?" Wendy asked as she walked over.

Mira blushed bashfully, placing a hand on her cheek, "Nothing you have to worry over."

"Lu-chan!"

"Levy-chan!"

"Mira!"

"Wendy?"

Carla sighed, not feeling amused in the slightest. "Just bring out the book. Please?"

"Party pooper," Lucy grumbled.

Carla shot the blonde a look but she just shrugged in response. Mira, Wendy and Levy laughed, shaking their heads. The white-haired, take-over mage, walked a few feet away before rustling under the bar for something. When she came back, item in hand, Lucy was surprised to see a very familiar book.

"Oh, hey!" she exclaimed, "That's '_The Dragon's Elemental Legend_'. I let Wendy borrow that."

"Yeah and we have some questions," Mira explained.

Relief filled the blonde's face, "Oh, thank Mavis. You meant _those_ questions."

Levy nodded, "I read a copy at the Grand Library, but it wasn't nearly as beat up as this book." Ignoring Lucy's indignant protests, she continued. "I felt the pages and it seemed that it was written here, but very long ago."

"Yeah, of course," Lucy replied, not really getting where this was going, "That's because it's the original book."

"Wh-what?!"

"Hmm, so Levy was right."

"That's so cool, Lucy-san!"

"What are you doing with the original copy of this book?"

"My momma said our ancestors had pulled a diary out of the fire along with this book and a letter," Lucy started to explain, "The diary was charred to illegibility but they found this story in the book." She calmed down enough to take a sip of the tea Mira offered, "The book was definitely written by the prince, I believe. But the letter was written by someone else. Probably the woman in the cabin," She flipped the book all the way until the last page, "The letter was later printed onto the page, that's why it has a different script."

"You're right," Levy gasped, "I didn't notice that."

"Do you know what happened after the letter part?" Wendy asked, "It's blank after that." The others nodded in agreement.

"Well, did you notice the title of this book is '_The Dragon's Elemental Legend_' yet it had nothing about any dragons or elements in the story?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Carla mused, "That was kind of weird."

"It's a little Celestial Legend," the blonde mage winked, "But rumor states that the prince's kingdom was a part of a 12 Kingdom Pact. Each of their Kingdoms were ruled by one Guardian. This Kingdom was apparently watched over by the Guardian spirit, Drakonas. He was one of what we call the _Zodiac Guardians_."

"Zodiac Guardians?" Mira asked, intrigued, "What's that?"

"I'm not too sure either," Lucy muttered, the other girls sighed disappointed. "However I did know that there was twelve Zodiac Guardians; the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig."

"Besides the Dragon, all of the others sound kind of plain," Carla frowned.

"Legend says that they are supposed to be that way," Lucy explained to the best of her ability. "The thing is, the Guardian spirits could only protect the family that they have chosen. Kind of like Celestial mages and our contracts. So just having the mortal forms of the ethereal spirits gave both the royal family and the citizens comfort."

"But why did the Dragon choose the King if he was evil?" Wendy asked curiously.

"No one is completely evil from the start," Lucy smiled, "It was the power that corrupted him. And I believe that the king truly had good intentions but he just showed it wrongly."

"But the King tried to force the Prince into the throne," Carla pointed out, "He even sent the guards to find him."

"But you also have to look at it from the King's perspective," Mira pitched in, "If any one of our members went missing or ran away, we would send people to search for them."

"True," Lucy smiled at the take-over mage, "The way I see it, the King didn't want to force the Prince into the kingdom's duties. The Prince was chosen by the kingdom's Guardian and he was the King's only son. Only kid to be exact. It was what he was born for after all, the King was just trying to remind his son of his responsibilities while keeping the kingdom's wellbeing in mind."

"You two are way too optimistic," Carla snorted. Wendy smiled at them, nodding her head in understanding.

"Wait," Levy sighed, rubbing her temples to process all of the new information, "You guys are theorizing like this is all true."

Lucy looked over at her blue haired friend with a raised eyebrow, "Because it is."

"If this story is real, then why did they place the copies in the fictional section?"

"I'm guessing that there was no way to prove that this was true," Carla answered, "Besides, all of this information wasn't in the book so it could have easily been recognized as a fictional story."

"And it's a legend," Lucy added, much to the other girls' shock, "It could easily be fake."

"So why would you remember so much of this information if it could be fake?" Mira asked quizzically.

"There's no deep meaning to it. I just thought it was interesting," Lucy replied with a laugh.

"I guess that's understandable," Carla muttered.

"And apparently," Lucy added after giving the white exceed a grateful smile, "No one had seen -or heard- about the Guardians in the last three hundred years or so. Or if they did, no one said anything." The celestial mage reached forward and tapped the book with her finger. "This is probably the last known document of the 12 Kingdom Pact. After this, they just faded away as if they were never there."

Silence enveloped the group as they absorbed what they just heard. Lucy gently picked the book up and brushed her hand over the charred cover, bittersweet memories running through her mind. Wendy was the first to snap out of her thoughts, a couple of questions still running rampant in her mind.

"Last questions, Lucy-san," The Sky Dragon Slayer added, shyly. Lucy couldn't help but smile fondly at the girl before nodding. "You said your ancestor found it, who were they? And if the prince found the letter, that means the cabin's fire wasn't caused by the guards... so why did the stuff burn?"

"Oh! I guess you can say my ancestors were related to the woman in the cabin."

Four pairs of eyes widened at her, "Eh?!"

"And you're right, the soldiers didn't set the cabin on fire, by the way. Apparently, the Prince called upon his Guardian's powers and accidentally used one of the elements to do it."

"EEEHHH?!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for Master's part (you'll see what I'm talking about during this chapter. I don't know what I was spouting... just that I did). I'm not really good at uplifting moments mostly because I never really heard them... but I tried my best! So no judging, 'kay? 'Kay. ****I tried to stretch this chapter as long as I could, but I kept on getting a solid writer's block in the middle (So that's why the quality dropped, if you noticed). But like a trucker, I just kept truckin' on.**

**You all waited extremely patiently, so you shall be rewarded!**

**Shortish A/N today. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and I'll see you in the next one! -808Lionfire**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail (c) Hiro Mashima**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 -<p>

_Year x791. Magnolia, Fiore. Fairy Tail Guild._

"Aww!" Natsu whined, his chin resting on the table in front of him. Happy sat in front of him, just finishing the generalization (minus certain, gruesome parts) of the mission. "That sounded fun!"

"It was actually kind of boring," Happy sighed, munching on a fish that Mira had given him earlier. "Lushy was complaining the whole walk from Onibas."

"Still," The salmon haired Dragon Slayer sighed.

"And since you weren't there, I got to save Lushy!" Happy pulled his fish from his mouth, giving his salmon-haired parter a weird look, "It's not as exciting as you make it." Speaking of the Devil herself, Lucy called out to them. Well, more like to Happy. "Natsu! Watch my fish," he said before sprouting his wings and flying towards the blonde mage.

Natsu turned his head just in time to see Lucy give the blue exceed one of her smiles before speaking. Unfortunately for him, they moved just out of earshot. So he had to imagine most of what they were talking about. Happy's back was to him but he watched as Lucy gave his partner a look of disbelief before it quickly switched to exasperation. Happy shrugged in response to something she said before shaking his head. Lucy pouted and then spoke something before pointing at the second level.

Happy rapidly shook his head in response before flailing his paws in front of the Celestial mage's face. Lucy batted Happy's paws away and for a split second, her face twisted in pain. It was gone so quickly that Natsu wondered if he imagined it. However this time, Lucy sighed and pushed the exceed away with her left hand. He also noticed that she favored the heavily bandaged hand by hiding it behind her back. And that meant only one thing.

She got hurt. Seriously hurt and that made him mad.

A scowl formed on his face and he was nearly about to stand up, march over to them and demand what happened. However, he paused when Lucy reached out for a hug and pretty much squeezed the life out of his blue partner before walking away with a giant smile and a unbelievably grateful wave. The scowl on his face deepened subconsciously, he barely even understood why he was so upset in the first place.

Happy flew back with a genuinely happy grin, making Natsu's mood even worse. Irritation pooled in his gut. Once the blue exceed settled back into his spot, he looked curiously at his salmon haired partner. He could see the frustration on his partner's face but he couldn't understand why. A few seconds passed before a thought popped in the blue exceed's head.

"Aren't you going to ask about what we talked about?"

"No," Natsu stubbornly denied almost instantly, closing his eyes and resting his ear against the table. "Why would I want to anyway?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Happy grinned mischievously. He pressed his paws against his mouth and giggled, "Because you liiiiiike her~" Natsu just groaned in response.

"Ooh," Lisanna squealed as she made her way to the pair, "He didn't deny it, Happy!" The blue exceed giggled again, causing Natsu to look up and give them both a glare before diverting his eyes elsewhere.

"Lucy's my nakama," the Dragon Slayer muttered, lazily holding his head up with his hand, "Of course I like her."

"I think Happy meant you actually like her," the young white haired mage said, hiding a smile behind her palm. "As in _like_ like her. More than just nakama."

"As if," Nastu rolled his eyes, "Happy's always making fun and saying stuff like that. Don't take those seriously."

"Aye!"

"Aw! Don't be like that," Lisanna's giggle reached his ears, "I caught you looking."

"Well you've seen her," Natsu replied, a scowl on his face, "She's hurt and it's my fault."

"How'd you ever get to that?" Lisanna asked, supporting her chin with her hand. She rose her eyebrows after hearing him sigh.

"Never mind. Forget it," He closed his eyes.

Lisanna pursed her lips, she knew the Dragon Slayer all too well. He liked to keep a lot of stuff bottled up inside, despite being the carefree soul on the outside. She knew that there was something serious on his mind. If there wasn't, Natsu wouldn't have been sitting there with a stubborn frown on his face. Nor would the Fire Dragon Slayer expectantly look up at the second floor as if his father, Igneel, was going to rear his head through the railings. She knew him better than that.

"So what's up? Really?" the Strauss sibling asked seriously, hearing the tilt of seriousness in her best friend's voice. The white-haired Take-over mage briefly got the salmon-haired boy to glance her way before continuing, "Usually you would be 'all fired up' and plotting every single bit of revenge on whoever hurt our nakama. So why aren't you doing that right now?"

"We beat the whole guild!" Happy replied before Natsu could open his mouth, "Even the leader. The Council's Army bounded them and took them to jail."

"Oh, I see," Lisanna giggled, covering her mouth with her hand, "That's cute, Natsu."

"I'm not cute," Natsu grumbled, curling his hand into a fist, "I just wish I could have done something!"

"Like what?" The white-haired mage asked, raising a brow, "Even if you were there, she would have gotten hurt."

"No she wouldn't have!"

"Yes, she would," Lisanna argued, when Natsu gave the girl an accusing glare she held her hands up in surrender, "I'm not saying that she's weak or anything. I'm just saying that getting hurt is in the job description."

Natsu narrowed his eyes in suspicion, "You saw the flyer?"

"What? No!" Lisanna sighed, sweat-dropping at the dense Dragon Slayer, "I didn't mean the _literal_ job description. I meant that getting hurt comes along with being a Guild Mage. Especially being a Mage in a strong guild like Fairy Tail. You may be able to protect her from serious injuries, but she will get scratches and bruises, no matter what."

"Still..."

"Unless you think that Lushy is weak," Happy mumbled _un_happily around his fish, causing Natsu to turn to his partner, a look of hurt in his eyes.

"I don't think she's weak," the salmon-haired boy argued, "I know exactly how strong she is!"

"So do I!" The blue exceed exclaimed, "But if you think that you have to always be around to protect Lushy, then you're the one that thinks she's weak! And now Lushy is starting to believe it!"

Natsu's eyes widened, Happy's word's shocking him to silence. Even Lisanna couldn't find any words to say, both of them staring at the blue exceed quietly. Happy quickly stood up, holding his half-eaten fish in his paws as his and Lucy's earlier conversation replayed in his mind. White wings sprouted from his back as he quickly flew off, leaving the two mages to their own thoughts. He didn't want to get the Celestial mage in trouble by talking about something that might not even happen. For once, Happy was glad they couldn't see the tears that filled his eyes.

* * *

><p>Lucy clenched and unclenched her left hand into a fist as she stood in front of the intimidating mahogany door that blocked her from inside of Master's office. She never recalled ever walking into this room, much less seeing it. However, she was glad that Master Makarov decided to do some paperwork because she had things to report. Some things that would cause the guild to riot and Master to frown. In short, he was not going to like it.<p>

Lifting a shaking fist, Lucy quickly rapped on the wooden door. Her heart thudded quickly as her palms started to sweat.

"Come in."

With a steel-like resolve, Lucy slowly opened the door and stepped in, "Master? It's Lucy."

"Ah! Lucy, my child," Makarov greeted, a grin on his face as he ushered the blonde into his office, "Come in, come in and close the door."

Doing as she told, she stepped in only after the wooden door clicked shut. She felt the magic flowing off of the walls, a concealing spell no doubt, keeping everything in this room strictly private. The office itself nearly knocked her off of her feet and not really in a good way. The one word she thought fitted this room was probably 'Unorganized'. Papers were strewn on the table and on the floor. Books stacked to the ceiling both on the floor and on Master's dark oak desk and a couple opened, upside down and haphazardly scattered on the floor.

Lucy thought that Master would have it organized, or at least cleaned so he could properly do some paperwork but no. The older man sat cross-legged on his desk, not really doing anything productive at all. It actually looked like the old man used this room as a secret getaway for a good drink. Seeing as he had a entire bottle of hard whiskey in his hand.

"Sit, sit," Makarov smiled drunkenly, beckoning the blonde over with his hand. Lucy silently obeyed, walking closer and taking a seat (on a pile of papers) directly in front of him. "Now how can I help you, child?"

"Ah well," Lucy muttered, glancing down at her hands in her lap.

Master smiled for a second before seeing the sullen look on the Celestial mage's face. Immediately sobering, the older man gently placed his bottle of whiskey down beside him. He tried to figure out why one of his own looked so down, slouching in his spot and thoughtfully rubbing his chin. He ran a million reasons through his head but only one struck out to him and soon he felt his body tense in sorrow. Dipping his head, Makarov sighed sadly.

"How much is it this time?"

Lucy's head snapped up as she looked at the suddenly saddened man, her eyes widening in both shock and amusement, "How much is what?"

"The repairs," Makarov cried, "How much did he destroy this time?"

"A-actually," Lucy stuttered, frantically trying to comfort Fairy Tail's Master, "I'm not here for any repair damages."

"B-but," Makarov spluttered, "Natsu?"

"Oh," The blonde breathed, realization finally hitting her, "I didn't go on a mission with Natsu, Master. I actually went on a solo quest and I'm here to report."

"Really?" Makarov asked hopefully before his spirit dampened again, "You didn't destroy anything, did you?"

"No," Lucy replied quickly, "I actually did destroy chunk of the forest but the Mayor of Oshibana said not to worry about it."

The Master quickly stood up, his bottle of whiskey back in his fist, "Praise Mavis! We must celebrate!"

"M-Master," Lucy sweat-dropped, raising her hands to calm him down, "Please calm down, there's no need to celebrate!"

"Of course there is, my child!" Makarov grinned down at the blonde mage, "One of my own has managed to not only destroy things, but also get away with it! This is cause for celebration!" A smile flittered across Lucy's face but then pain shot up her arm and she winced, the action not passing Makarov's watchful eye, "My child, is there something wrong with your wrist?"

"That's what I came to talk to you about," The blonde sighed with a heavy heart, "Master, please sit. Trust me, you'll want to."

"I believe you," Makarov wisely sat down, calming down instantly. With a worried gaze, he nodded, "Continue. There are sound-proof runes around this office so you may speak freely."

"I went to the doctor once coming back to Magnolia," Lucy started, gently cradling her wrist, "I would have gone to Wendy but I didn't want her to worry about me because I felt like it wouldn't be good news. Turns out I strained the nerves in my wrist after landing on it wrong one too many during my fight to protect the cargo. But I guess I should start off with the job business first. There was a few floating rumors of a Dark Guild raiding foot cargo in the forest between Onibas and Oshibana. They needed mages to protect this shipment and that's where I come in. Considering it's importance, they were paying two-hundred thousand jewels in reward. The Dark Guild usually attacked the foot cargo right outside of Oshibana. I don't know if you know them but they call themselves '_Shadow Claw_'."

A look of recognition flittered past Master Makarov's eyes upon hearing the name, "I have. They're an extremely dangerous guild with powerful mages in their ranks." The older man gave the blonde a worried glance, "Don't tell me you ran into them."

"I did," Lucy confirmed with a heavy breath, "They had one mage that could manipulate a tiny pocket of space, causing fire based explosions. He knocked me around a bit before Happy caught me once. By then, I had a couple of scratches and my wrist already started to throb. Happy tried to convince me to follow the cargo into Oshibana but I the Dark Guild was still in the forest and I didn't want any of the citizens to be collateral damage. Happy had good intentions, might I remind you. I was worse for wear and he knew that. He had been an extremely indefinite amount of help on this mission." The blonde thought back to what the leader said before she knocked him out as well. "The leader of that group or of the Guild said something before Loke had knocked him unconscious. He said something about watching our backs because this group called the 'Knightmares' would find us."

Master Makarov slowly digested the information, tapping his finger on his chin before lightly scratching the side of his cheek. Lucy quietly watched as suppressed emotions danced in Master's eyes.

"I've heard of them but they are merely a legend," Makarov murmured thoughtfully, "Their names haven't been uttered since the past fifty years or so."

"I did a little research overnight in Oshibana," Lucy supplied, leaning forward, "The books that I read said that they were an elite group of armored mages that specializes in using magic that alters memories, dreams and self-will. They can control any psychological part as long as the person has a decent sized output of magical energy. But they were only legends and no one had any recollection of meeting such people." Silence followed the blonde's information, each person drifting away in their own thoughts. A uncomfortable feeling bubbled in her gut as she looked at Fairy Tail's master, "Does magic like that really exist, Master?"

"It does," Makarov sighed, drawing a wrinkled hand down his face. "It's ancient magic that was banned by the earlier magic Council dating back at least three hundred years. That magic is an extremely dangerous close range attack and especially even scarier if a mage perfected the practice. They could possibly alter a person's memories or control them from even across Magnolia."

"Is there any defenses against it?" Lucy asked, worriedly shifting in her seat.

"If there is, there's no evidence," Makarov replied, standing back up, "Thank you for reporting this to me when I was in here. This is becoming an even greater danger than I had originally thought. I think we should keep this information between us for now, I don't think the guild would appreciate the panic." At Lucy's silence, the sixth master gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "Is there something else troubling you?"

"Master?" The blonde asked, looking up with hard eyes, "Do you believe me to be weak?"

That shocked him, "Why would you even think that, my child? You do have strength, don't doubt that."

"But I'm injured," She replied sadly, a bit of frustration pulling in her stomach.

"But you are also alive and well," Master Makarov pointed out, "And that's all the strength that we need, my child. You came back home, hurt -maybe- but you came home safe. The only strength we need now is to move on and keep living. Why would you doubt your own strengths?"

"You've seen me," Lucy stressed, gesturing to her bandage clad body as frustrated tears leaked from her eyes, "Would a strong mage have so many injuries despite being alive and well?"

"Lucy, stop!" Master Makarov sternly ordered, causing the blonde to look back up at him. A sheepish look passed her face. "We are all, in a sense, weak as you call it. Even weaker when we are alone. You were alone when you had faced the Dark Guild and you have prevailed despite being so. But let me be the first -and hopefully the only- to tell you this now; you are not alone anymore." Master reached forward and gently placed a hand on her head, "We all have injuries of our own, whether they be inside or out. That is why we have Guilds. We create strengths through bonds between us and our nakama. They are our strength whether they are there or not, and we are theirs. When you have a family and create bonds, like how you have in Fairy Tail, you are strong."

"We are stronger together than we are when we are apart but if you start to doubt your own abilities then others will do the same. Not only with you but with themselves as well. So if making mistakes, gaining scars and getting hurt be weakness, then we shall come together and take that pain and take that weakness, crush it and turn it into experience," Makarov hopped off of the desk and held out his hand, purposely ignoring the tears she had shed and giving her a smile instead, "Come, my child. We shall prepare for the future, not the past. There's no need to focus on the situation that made us weak, we must focus on the people who make us strong." He gave her a knowing look, "Those people are waiting downstairs for us."

"R-right," Lucy smiled, accepting Master's hand and letting him lead them out of the office.

She was still wiping away her tears when Master hopped onto the railing overlooking the Guild hall. Some of the members turned to look up, while others still either chatted and joked around with each other. Makarov motioned for the blonde to look over the railing and she did so. From above, there was many heads (too much for her to count) but instead of focusing on a single, individual heads, she saw them slightly blur together. Exposing a sea of brown, blue, pink, purples and blonde heads.

She finally noticed what Master had said. They were a family, a bond that is both visible and invisible. Every person is different, yet they all compliment each other as if they were one person. For each strength, there was a weakness and vice versa.

"Listen up, Brats!" Master Makarov announced. Finally the rest of the guild turned to look up at them and Lucy shuffled back out of instinct. She, however, hadn't gotten far because Master's hand grew larger and pulled her back to the railing without even glancing her way. "We have reason to celebrate!" He announced and Lucy blushed immediately, knowing exactly where he was taking this announcement. "Our _strongest_ Celestial Mage had just completed her very first dangerous solo mission! She not only completed the mission successfully, she, along with Happy, had wiped out an entire Dark Guild who call themselves '_Shadow Claw_'."

The guild erupted into earth shattering cheers, pulling a laugh from the blonde. Of course they would cheer as if she just saved the world, they were Fairy Tail after all. She faintly heard someone jokingly shout '_she's our only Celestial mage_' before that was drowned in the roars of the others. Unbeknownst to her, joyful tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared down at the guild who were too busy cheering to notice. She hastily wiped them away, another laugh escaping her lips.

Master sobbed next to her, causing her to snap her head up at the older man just in time to see him curing a fist under her eyes. "A-and she didn't d-destroy a-anything!"

The guild then erupted into boisterous laughter at Master's open relief. If possible, they cheered even louder for both the blonde and the Master. He finally released her and smiled, silently telling her to return to her family. With a large smile, the blonde nodded and climbed down the stairs. As she was walking to the bar where Mira, Levy, Carla and Wendy was standing, she received countless pats of congratulations and smiles of a job well done. Somehow, she managed to give each a full blown smile before finally sitting in her spot where she originally occupied.

"Congrats, Lu-chan! I guess those injuries were worth it, huh?"

"I guess that Tom-cat isn't too bad. He did help you wipe out a Dark Guild, after all."

"Did you really beat all of them, Lucy-san? I wish I was there!"

"I think this calls for a extra-thick Strawberry Milkshake. Don't worry about paying, it's on the house."

Laughing at all of her friend's praises, she couldn't help but feel her smile splitting her face. She played along with each one of them, the group laughing but the sound getting lost within the guild's celebration. Happy raced to them from nowhere and flew straight into Lucy's chest, tears of happiness in his eyes. Lucy gratefully squeezed the exceed as they exchanged their own form of congratulations. Mira had winked at the blue exceed and offered him another fish with a secretive finger on her mouth.

Carla stuck her nose in the air and accepted Happy's earlier fish, saying it was a 'one-time' thing. Wendy proudly praised the blue exceed and Levy hugged him. Lucy smiled at the scene in front of her, her earlier worries immediately flushing away. Finding herself getting sucked into a conversation between the other five mages (yes, Happy and Carla included), she laughed with an exasperated shake of her head.

_I love this_ guild, she sighed happily in her mind,_ I really do_.


End file.
